The Turnbull Government is continuing to take action to combat the scourge of ice and other illicit drugs with more Local Drug Action Teams set to rollout across Australia.

Federal Member for Pearce, Christian Porter, said that applications are now open for the third round of the Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) program, which helps to bring the community together to develop local plans and activities to prevent and reduce the harm being caused by drugs and alcohol in their regions.

“Setting the Foundations for Change based in Northam was one of the forty LDATs was announced in September last year and deliver support services to the Northam, Wundowie, Grass Valley, Copley, Bakers Hill, and Clackline areas.

“Any organisation with an interest in tackling drug and alcohol issues in their community is encouraged to apply.”

The Local Drug Action Teams is a key measure within the Turnbull Government’s $298 million National Ice Action Strategy to combat illicit drug and alcohol use.

The National Ice Taskforce recognised that taking action at the local level and building community engagement and capacity is vital to reducing the harms that alcohol and other drugs have on individuals, families and communities.

“Successful applicants will initially receive $10,000 to help them to develop a local action plan,” Mr Porter said.

“Once the plan is finalised, LDATs can apply to receive up to an additional $30,000 in their first year (and then $40,000 a year) to support delivery of local activities.”

Examples of activities that an LDAT might deliver in communities include:

raising awareness of the dangers of methamphetamine (also known as ‘ice’) and encouraging users to seek help;

working with vulnerable people to improve their current situation through education or employment services;

providing support and information to parents and carers to enable them to talk about alcohol and other drug issues with their children; and

developing local solutions for reducing violence and other harm related to alcohol and other drugs in public places.

The Turnbull Government is committed to combating the scourge of ice and we encourage more organisations to apply to join the LDAT program, to drive change at a local level.

Applications for round three of the LDAT program close 19 February 2018.

For more information visit www.adf.org.au/ldat. There will be further opportunities to be part of the program later this year and in 2019.